Ancelotti is recovering from back surgery he underwent after being sacked by Real Madrid in the summer, and the 56-year-old said: “The vacation will continue at least until the end of the year. Then I’ll start again.

“Where will I go? Where they call me. I will talk, evaluate and decide. Up until a few weeks ago I was scared someone would call, but now I feel like I’m getting closer to that comeback.

Struggles: Mourinho has been handed a vote of confidence by the Blues board (Photo: Reuters / Dylan Martinez)

Call it a comeback: Ancelotti has already been in charge at Stamford Bridge once (Photo: Getty)

“At least that is the plan, unless something strange happens. I am ready to get the engine back up and running in January.

“I’d like to go back to the Premier League. It is the ideal environment not for football, but for the ‘game’ around football.

“You can work with the right amount of pressure, the necessary detachment and calm. Before I quit, I’d like to have another experience in England."

“After that I’m heading to San Francisco, as I've been invited to a convention of cardiologists. They want me to talk about leadership and new technology in football. Then it’s back to Canada. There’s still a few salmon waiting for me.”

Mourinho’s problems are mounting, with Branislav Ivanovic expected to be out for for three weeks leaving the Stamford Bridge boss with the set-piece problem he has been dreading.

Ivanovic came off after 65 minutes of Serbia’s 2-0 win over Albania last week with a hamstring problem.

Tall order: Chelsea's defence may be more vulnerable in the air now Ivanovic is injured (Photo: Julian Finney)

Although Ivanovic has been subjected to fierce criticism over his performances, Mourinho is reluctant to move Cesar Azpilicueta to right-back and install new signing Baba Rahman at left-back because he fears it will leave Chelsea vulnerable at set-pieces.

The ailing champions face Aston Villa at home on Saturday and Villa striker Rudy Gestede is one of English football's most effective players when the ball is in the air.

Mourinho said recently: “If you don’t have a minimum of five tall players good in the air, you are dead on set-pieces. When I play Azpilicueta on the right and Baba on the left, I have only three. So we have to think about all the details.”